From Grand Central Station to the grass courts of the Queen’s Club, Britain’s
great racket sport rivalry continues to haunt James Willstrop.

The 6’ 4’’ world No 4 just can’t win a match against his fellow Yorkshireman, Nick Matthew, the latest of which came in a rare, one-sided semi-final at the World Series Finals – staged in an inflatable cube on the lush grass of the 125 year-old sports club in London.

Andy Murray doesn’t have Willstrop’s problem, namely that there is no one close enough in British tennis. Willstrop, the former world junior champion, has now lost 11 on the bounce against a player he has been hammering down squash walls with since junior days in Yorkshire.

He last beat Matthew, who plays Amr Shabana in Saturday’s final, in the 2007 English Open final before Matthew began his run in January 2009 in New York. Each match he has lost since has clearly played a psychological advantage; Matthew’s dominance has only increased on the world stage.

For Matthew, racking up wins has been second nature as he bids to become World Series champion for the first time. It would make sense for him to achieve this. Last year saw the Sheffield right-hander become world champion, world No 1, Commonwealth champion as well as amassing a six-month unbeaten run.

Defeat was palpable for Willstrop. He slumped in his chair afterwards before offering: “I’m really sad I couldn’t produce it today. I was really flat. For two years I have been second best to him and all I can do is keep battling away.”

Not that Willstrop has gone down without a fight. He lost out in a brutal 2009 British Open final, where Willstrop held match balls, and the Canary Wharf Classic semi-finals, which saw the Yorkshireman’s bid end with severe cramp after one of the finest contest in recent years.

In the World Series semi-final, Matthew stretched his opponent throughout. Willstrop’s backhand drops briefly deserted him before offering a mini comeback in the second. Matthew refused to play short in the third as he bid to dig Willstrop into the ground.

Shabana wasted little time in ousting Ramy Ashour, his younger compatriot and one of the future stars of the game, in a repeat of the 2009 World Open final.

The Egyptian left-hander, 31, will now attempt to win for the first time on British shores after finishing runner-up here on four occasions – his first coming at the British Junior Open in 1993. Ashour, feeling the effects of a hamstring injury, went down 4-11, 5-11, 5-11 in 27 minutes and looked well short of his 'Cairo King' moniker.

“Playing here at Queen’s is a proud moment,” Shabana admitted afterwards. “I have always enjoyed watching the tennis on TV since I was a kid. Hopefully Nick and I can play another great match in front of this great crowd.”

With so much invested in this week's tournament, a final to match the setting would fit the bill.